A horrific crash that killed six highschool ladies in Oklahoma two years in the past has the top of the U.S. Nationwide Transportation Security Board urging dad and mom to warn youngsters concerning the danger of driving after utilizing marijuana.
Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy made the enchantment to oldsters Thursday as her company launched the ultimate report on the March 22, 2022 collision between a tiny Chevrolet Spark hatchback and a gravel-hauling semi within the small city of Tishomingo.
The board, after an investigation by its employees, decided that the crash was brought on by the 16-year-old driver slowing for an intersection, then accelerating by a cease signal as a result of she seemingly was impaired by current marijuana use and was distracted by having 5 teen passengers within the automotive, the NTSB report mentioned.
In an interview, Homendy additionally mentioned the hashish downside isn’t restricted to teenagers. As extra states have legalized recreational marijuana, teenagers and adults are likely to underestimate the dangers of driving beneath its affect.
“There’s a notion that in states the place it’s authorized that it’s protected and authorized to drive impaired on marijuana,” she mentioned.
In its report on the crash, the NTSB cited research displaying that marijuana decreases motor coordination, slows response time and impairs judgment of time and distance, all vital features for driving.
At present it’s authorized for folks 21 and older to make use of marijuana recreationally in 24 states plus Washington, D.C., in accordance with the Insurance coverage Institute for Freeway Security. Oklahoma doesn’t enable leisure use, however like most states, it’s authorized for medical functions. Driving whereas impaired by marijuana is illegitimate in all states and Washington, D.C.
The NTSB, which investigates transportation-related crashes however has no regulatory energy, put out a security alert Thursday urging dad and mom to speak to younger drivers about how marijuana can impair driving, and the way they’ll make accountable decisions to keep away from driving whereas impaired or driving with impaired drivers.
Homendy mentioned states which have legalized marijuana are behind in ensuring folks know that it’s unlawful to drive beneath its affect. Over half of Individuals dwell in a state the place leisure hashish use is authorized, she mentioned.
“Sadly, I believe state legal guidelines which might be legalizing leisure and medicinal use of marijuana have actually come earlier than ideas or motion on what are they going to do about site visitors security,” Homendy mentioned. “They’re far forward on legalizing it, however very behind relating to site visitors security.”
States, she mentioned, want to gather extra knowledge on how legalizing marijuana has affected site visitors security, and they should begin imposing legal guidelines in opposition to driving whereas impaired by hashish.
“Enforcement has obtained to be there as a way to deter,” she mentioned.
One examine on crashes in Washington state, which has legalized leisure marijuana use, confirmed that extra drivers concerned in deadly crashes examined constructive for marijuana after it turned authorized, the NTSB mentioned.
In Tishomingo, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) southeast of Oklahoma Metropolis, six highschool ladies obtained into the automotive designed to carry four for a lunch break, the NTSB report mentioned.
At an intersection, the driving force slowed to 1 mile per hour (1.6 kilometers per hour), however accelerated and didn’t come to a whole cease for an indication. As a substitute, she sped up and turned left in entrance of the gravel truck. The truck driver braked and steered to keep away from the Spark, however hit the driving force’s aspect at just below 50 mph (80 kilometers per hour). All six teenagers died of a number of blunt pressure accidents.
Assessments on blood taken from the driving force’s physique discovered a THC focus of 95.9 nanograms per milliliter, the NTSB mentioned. If such a degree of THC, the principle chemical part of marijuana, have been present in a residing individual, it will point out “a excessive chance that the individual had used hashish very just lately, and subsequently was seemingly nonetheless experiencing acute impairing hashish results,” the report mentioned.
However the NTSB cautioned that body-cavity blood samples can typically be contaminated by different physique fluids or by THC from different tissues, together with the lungs, which will include excessive concentrations.
As well as, the Oklahoma Freeway Patrol discovered vaping mouthpieces and hashish buds within the automotive on the scene of the crash, the report mentioned.
The NTSB advisable within the report that the Oklahoma State Division of Schooling develop a drug and alcohol abuse curriculum for native faculty districts that tells college students concerning the danger of cannabis-impaired driving. At current, solely Massachusetts and Rhode Island have such course necessities, the NTSB mentioned.
The company additionally desires the Governors Freeway Security Affiliation, a gaggle of state freeway security officers, the Nationwide Convention of State Legislatures and the Nationwide Affiliation of State Boards of Schooling to tell members concerning the Tishomingo crash and the necessity for hashish info in class and driver training coursework.
The security affiliation mentioned in an announcement that cannabis-impaired driving is a rising security concern, and state freeway security places of work are targeted on eliminating all impaired driving.
“We have now to start out speaking properly forward of time, to children, that driving, having ingested or smoked or inhaled marijuana is impairing, and it’s a danger to them and a danger to others,” Homendy mentioned.
Picture: FILE – On this picture supplied by KFOR-TV, a closely broken car is seen off a street in Tishomingo, Okla., following a two-vehicle collision during which six teenage college students have been killed, March 22, 2022. The crash has the Nationwide Transportation Security Board urging dad and mom to warn youngsters concerning the danger of driving after utilizing marijuana. (NewsNation KFOR through AP File)
Copyright 2024 Related Press. All rights reserved. This materials will not be revealed, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Subjects
Personal Auto
Cannabis
